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Undocumented students face unique challenges in postgraduate career planning. College career professionals can help provide skill-building experiences.
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For college students, finding a job or an interview can be a stressful experience. A 2024 Student Voice survey by Inside Higher Ed and Generation Lab found 68 percent of students are extremely or somewhat stressed about their plans for life after college. For undocumented learners who face additional difficulties related to finding employment, this can be magnified.
Around 408,000 students in U.S. higher education are undocumented, representing around 1.9 percent of all learners, according to 2023 data from the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and the American Immigration Council. These students face unique barriers in receiving payment for internships, disclosing residency or gaining work experience in general.
To equitably support students in their career preparation journeys, many colleges and universities provide support and experiential learning opportunities that are inclusive of students without documentation to help them build career skills and be confident navigating the job market.
Who Are Undocumented Students?
The number of undocumented students in higher ed has declined since 2019, which is tied to both enrollment dips nationally and factors that impede undocumented individuals specifically, like legal challenges to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, according to 2021 data from the American Community Survey.
The greatest share of undocumented students are Hispanic (46 percent), 27 percent are Asian American/Pacific Islander, around 14 percent are Black and 10 percent are white. The remaining 3 percent are biracial and multiracial students or otherwise classified as “other.”
Undocumented learners enrolled in public and private institutions of higher education in undergraduate and graduate-level programs are both immigrant youth and adults.
Opportunities for support: Higher education institutions and professionals can invest in undocumented students’ career success in the following ways:
- Financial aid. While some undocumented students under DACA or Temporary Protected Status may have an employment authorization document, others may not, which can make securing paid work a greater challenge.
Scholarship opportunities both from the institution and from outside partners can remove financial barriers to participation in work-based learning. Northwestern University, for example, offers the Northwestern Career Advancement Summer Internship Grant program to fund unpaid internship experiences, which undocumented students are eligible for.
- Career counseling. When interviewing for a position, students may be asked if they are legally authorized to work in the U.S. or to disclose their status. Career counselors can serve as a resource in talking through when students should disclose their legal status, if they so choose, and how to fill out applications if they need alternative employment options.
- Peer connections. Navigating career development as an undocumented student may feel isolating to a student. Student organizations or alumni can help learners identify strategies that worked for them in overcoming barriers. The UndocuUndergrads National Network has student chapters at institutions across the U.S., including at George Mason University, and college-specific organizations, such as Western Washington University’s The Blue Group, can also help.
Networking is also an important tool for students, regardless of immigration status, which can help provide guidance beyond next steps after college.
- Short-term programs. Undergraduate research, job shadows, paid service projects and microinternships are all opportunities that can give undocumented students work-based learning at the institution. Parker Dewey is one group that provides professional project opportunities to students over six to 10 weeks that is inclusive of undocumented students.
- Alternative models. Career centers can also encourage students to look at less traditional employment, such as becoming an entrepreneur or working as an international remote employee. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s career center highlights opportunities for learners who are seeking employment as well as considering graduate school for further education. The University of Texas at Austin’s career center provides reflection questions for undocumented students to help guide their career decisions and decide what the right next step for them may be.
- National networks. Staff and faculty can also refer undocumented students to national organizations with additional resources, guidance and legal supports such as United We Dream, a youth-led community for immigrants, TheDream.US or Immigrants Rising.
Do you have a career prep tip that might help others encourage student success? Tell us about it.
